What Jeff’s Fighting For
Jeff Merkley has always been a progressive leader and a champion for people who need a chance. He’s a fighter who has the guts to do what’s right – no matter how powerful the forces against us.
A We the People Democracy
Gerrymandering, voter suppression, and dark money have massively corrupted our “We the People” vision of our Constitution. The result is not government by and for the people, but government by and for the powerful and the privileged.
Our rigged government produces a rigged economy and tax system that continuously puts more and more money in the hands of those who already have the most, leaving millions of families struggling to make ends meet. It allows huge corporations to pollute our air and water and take advantage of their customers and workers. It helps those with power amass more and more wealth and power while sacrificing opportunity and our future.
There are 21 lobbyists for every member of Congress, over 11,000 in all, clamoring for attention and doling out favors. Billionaires and global corporations fuel SuperPACs, using the levers of power to make sure they get their way.
We must reclaim our Constitution. Put an end to gerrymandering. Overturn Citizens United and shut down the dark money. Reinstate and strengthen the Voting Rights Act to stop voter suppression and intimidation. Champion voter empowerment with required early voting periods, vote-by-mail, and same-day registration. And let’s replace the unjust Electoral College with the direct election of presidents through either a constitutional amendment or National Popular Vote!
Reverse the Climate Crisis
The future of humanity is at risk. Day after day, year after year, we’re pumping way too much carbon pollution into the atmosphere. From the forest fires burning hotter and longer in the Northwest, to the more powerful hurricanes in the Southeast, and everywhere in-between, climate chaos is hitting America hard. Our forests, farms, and fisheries are threatened – putting lives and livelihoods at risk.
We must take bold action to reverse the climate crisis. Tinkering around the edges is no longer enough. We must invest in a shift to 100% clean and renewable energy sources. And we need a Green New Deal to ensure that as we drive this transition, we create millions of good-paying family jobs and invest in the front-line communities that have often been left behind. Everyone has a place in our clean energy future.
Opportunity for Everyone
Jeff Merkley’s vision of America is one where every child has a full opportunity to thrive no matter which side of the railroad tracks he or she is born on.
But that vision is fading. Workers are working harder than ever, yet slipping further behind.
This is no accident. It is the result of trade policies that ship jobs overseas and a failure to invest in the foundations for thriving families -- affordable housing, quality education, health care, and good-paying jobs.
Let’s change that. We can create millions of good-paying jobs rebuilding America’s infrastructure from roads and bridges to docks and jetties. And let’s put high-speed broadband in every rural community in America.
Health care is just too expensive, complicated, and stressful. We should give every American the opportunity to participate in simple, seamless, cost-effective Medicare for All. And we must end the gouging of Americans on drug prices by banning drug companies from charging more for a drug than they charge in Canada, Europe, and Japan.
We should reduce class sizes in elementary schools, bring back shop classes and technical education, and give every young person who wants to the chance to go to college debt-free.
Housing and child care should be affordable in every community and to every family.
And may we truly be a nation of opportunity for all, fighting against discrimination, bigotry, and racism and fighting for the rights of workers to lift themselves up by forming unions and negotiating strong wages and benefits.
This is Jeff Merkley’s fight. If it’s your fight too, then join us. Together, we’ll get America back on track.
